Power of Language
by Maliko
Summary: Knowledge is Power. Adventures in Korea lead Alex to meeting some of the greatest Kpop stars of her generation, and all because of a handful of languages and a couple of crazy fans.


_Found myself thrown into a world with Kpop stars just because I knew a few languages... Why._

I probably looked like the cheesiest tourist ever. Baggy 3 quarter sweat pants, a loose long white blouse and a black camera slung around my neck. My clothes weren't even that bad but I was looking around so excitedly my neck actually got a cramp. I grumbled, this is what I got for some cheap low class airline.

Flying to Korea was a truly interesting experience. I always had decent airlines, mostly due to the fact I threw up in most of them. My mother knew my weakness for flying and never booked a extremely bad airline for me. But this time it was different, I never even chose the airline. The school that I'd be studying at; had said it came in a package for their exchange students. It was a really cheap package, a flight to Korea and a few days at a hotel before I was thrown into a korean school and into their dorms. I guess I now know why it was so cheap... I tried stretching out the cramp while taking pictures of the streets, people, stores, dogs; you name it and I took a picture of it.

Seoul was so interesting, and completely different from any city I've ever been too. Hong Kong was different but familiar at the same time. My parent's first language was Cantonese, I learned a bit. Plus I had family friends in Hong Kong to stay with and get help from. I was born in Taiwan, all my extended family lived there and I even lived there for 3 years so I had no problem there. I recently took a horrible flight from Vancouver which I've lived for about 8 years so definitely no problem there. But this time, it was different. No one to help me, to give me direction or to feed me (more like to stuff me, Asian grandparents...) I was completely alone, I had some won and some knowledge of the Korean culture and language but I was still basically an outsider.

Yet here I was basically ignoring fierce stares from ahjhummas and farther isolating myself as a weird foreigner. What was I doing exactly? What else can you do in a foreign country? The happy dance. Taking photos and twirling all over the place with occasional happy jumps all while a huge smile was permanently plastered on my face. New countries do that to a person.

After I had decided I was too hungry to continue my dizzying dance around the city, I stopped by a street stall selling duekbokki and ordered some duekbokki and mandoo. Glancing around wistfully, happy to be in such an interesting city when a particularly good-looking boy around the same age or slightly older caught my eye. I chuckled to myself; so this is was what pretty boys looked like in Korea. I had heard of them before through friends and how they closely resembled girls. This particular boy was accompanied by an extremely pretty girl who looked as triumphant as a general who had captured her enemy, she also seemed to have a death grip on his arm while he looked submissive but slightly annoyed.

I nearly laughed out loud when the couple came closer and I could clearly see the male subtly trying to shy away and the female pulling herself all the more closer as I got off my chair to head off again in the opposite direction. Another possessive girlfriend, another normal day. I guess they had those kind in every country. So occupied with my thoughts, I stumbled on something (probably my own feet) and fell straight into the boy I had previously been laughing at.

We both landed on the pavement hard, with my thoughts jumbled with both apologies and fear. However when I turned to try to get up quickly I found my eyes locked with his. I froze. Oh sheet. I landed on his chest. His girlfriend wouldn't like this. My cheeks turned pink as I scrambled to get up only to turn straight into his angry girlfriend who looked like she was about to rip my head off.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't do it on purpo-" I started to say in Korean. She cut me off angrily "who do you think you are, bumping into someone like him. You must be one of those saseang fans who always bother my oppas" she ranted on about personal space and human rights while I tried to process her words. What were saseang fans? A new breed of fans? Like the biebelievers? Or something like one direction infection? I must have stood there looking like a complete idiot just taking all her insults because I couldn't understand slang while without realizing the boy behind me had gotten up and dusted himself off. "Enough, Sumin. It was just an accident" he said in a soft but firm voice. " Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?" he asked as turned his big brown innocent eyes on me.

I wasn't sure whether it was because I was surprised that Sumin (whatever-her-name-was) was shut up so easily, well she was still fuming to herself but quietly at least or because in that moment I had realized how pretty of a guy he was but my answer came out like " Y-Ye-Y-Yes, I-I'm Fine." I groaned internally as I realized how much of an nub I must have sounded but brushed it away as Sumin pushed me out of the way and onto the ground to yell " DON'T FLIRT WITH MY TAEMIN OPPA!"

I looked up from the ground enraged, only the see that guy's (Taemin?) eyes widen and clamp his hand over Sumin's mouth. Too late apparently because I suddenly heard cries of "TAEMIN OPPA TAEMIN OPPA WHERE? WHERE?!" and I could feel every girl in a 10 meter radius turn their head toward us with hungry eyes. Uh-Oh. I was starting to feel that maybe staying in the hotel would have been a safe choice.


End file.
